Earnings Spotlight – 58.com Inc. (NYSE:WUBA)

58.com Inc. (NYSE:WUBA) closed with change of 0.53% to $77.11 with the total traded volume of 1364228 shares versus to an average volume of 993.86K. The stock was up in the 5 days activity 2.31%. The one month performance of stock was high 7.61%. WUBA shares are above 15.12% for the quarter and driving a 110.86% rally over the course of the past year and is now up 7.74% since this point in 2018. Right now WUBA beta is 2.12. The average volatility for the week and month was at 4.71% 4.66% respectively.”

58.com Inc. (NYSE:WUBA) recently declared its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Fourth Quarter 2017 Financial Results

Revenues

Total revenues were RMB2,764.7 million (US$423.1 million), representing an increase of 32.0% from RMB2,094.8 million in the same quarter of 2016.

Membership revenues were RMB1,038.8 million (US$159.0 million), an increase of 27.9% from RMB812.0 million in the same quarter of 2016. The increase in membership revenues was primarily driven by an increase in the number of subscription-based paying membership accounts. The total number of subscription-based paying membership accounts on the Company’s platforms, which include 58.com, Ganji.com and Anjuke.com, was approximately 2,654,000 during the fourth quarter of 2017, a 28.2% increase from approximately 2,070,000 in the same quarter of 2016. The Company defines subscription-based paying membership accounts as the registered accounts through which users have purchased the Company’s membership subscriptions. The number of subscription-based paying membership accounts in a given period represents the paying merchant members whose membership subscriptions are in their service period at any point during the given period. Some paying merchant members purchase membership services from more than one Company platform which contributes separately to the revenues of each platform.

Online marketing services revenues were RMB1,644.5 million (US$251.7 million), an increase of 38.3% from RMB1,189.4 million in the same quarter of 2016. The increase was primarily driven by the increasing adoption and effectiveness of the Company’s various online marketing services such as real-time bidding, priority listing and various other online marketing services.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues was RMB262.9 million (US$40.2 million), an increase of 23.8% from RMB212.2 million in the same quarter of 2016. The year-over-year increase in the 58.com’s cost of revenues was primarily driven by increases in salaries and benefits for customer service staff and costs of used goods sold.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit was RMB2,501.8 million (US$382.9 million), an increase of 32.9% from RMB1,882.5 million during the same quarter of 2016.

Gross margin was 90.5%, compared with 89.9% during the same quarter of 2016.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were RMB1,888.1 million (US$289.0 million), an increase of 11.8% from RMB1,689.0 million in the same quarter of 2016.

Sales and marketing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB1,338.6 million (US$204.9 million), an increase of 9.3% from RMB1,224.7 million in the same quarter in 2016.

Within sales and marketing expenses, advertising expenses accounted for RMB511.9 million (US$78.3 million) and RMB454.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 and 2016, respectively. The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising expenses associated with the promotion of the 58.com and Zhuan Zhuan brands.

Other sales and marketing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB826.7 million (US$126.6 million), an increase of 7.3% from RMB770.3 million in the same quarter in 2016. Other sales and marketing expenses primarily include salaries, benefits and sales commissions, as well as office overhead expenses associated with sales, customer service and marketing teams. The increase was primarily driven by increased commissions for the Company’s sales, customer service and marketing teams.

Research and development expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB357.9 million (US$54.8 million), an increase of 14.2% from RMB313.4 million in the same quarter of 2016. The increase was primarily due to increased salaries and benefits as well as share-based compensation expenses for the research and development of new features and services.

General and administrative expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB191.6 million (US$29.3 million), an increase of 27.0% from RMB150.9 million in the same quarter of 2016. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in salaries, share-based compensation expenses and other administrative related expenses.

Income from Operations

Income from operations was RMB613.7 million (US$93.9 million) in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with income from operations of RMB193.5 million in the same quarter of 2016. Operating margin, defined as income from operations divided by total revenues, was 22.2% in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with 9.2% in the same quarter of 2016.

Non-GAAP income from operations was RMB762.5 million (US$116.7 million) in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with non-GAAP income from operations of RMB317.7 million in the same quarter of 2016. Non-GAAP operating margin, defined as non-GAAP income from operations divided by total revenues, was 27.6% in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with 15.1% in the same quarter of 2016.

Other Expenses

Other expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB123.8 million (US$19.0 million), compared with other expenses of RMB365.5 million in the same quarter of 2016. Other expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 mainly included a RMB198.3 million share of results of equity investees, which primarily consisted of a RMB186.4 million share of the net loss attributable to 58 Home’s ordinary shareholders calculated based on the Company’s ordinary shareholding in 58 Home, which was partially offset by investment income of RMB27.5 million and government subsidies of RMB25.7 million.

Net Income/(Loss) Attributable to 58.com Inc.

Net income attributable to 58.com Inc. was RMB414.1 million (US$63.4 million) in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with net loss attributable to 58.com Inc. of RMB138.0 million in the same quarter of 2016. Net margin, defined as net income /(loss) attributable to 58.com Inc. divided by total revenues, was 15.0% in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with negative 6.6% in the same quarter of 2016.

Non-GAAP net income attributable to 58.com Inc. was RMB549.0 million (US$84.0 million) in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with non-GAAP net loss attributable to 58.com Inc. of RMB22.7 million in the same quarter of 2016. Non-GAAP net margin, defined as non-GAAP net income /(loss) attributable to 58.com Inc. divided by total revenues, was 19.9% in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with negative 1.1% in the same quarter of 2016.

Basic and Diluted Earnings per ADS

Basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB2.82 (US$0.43) and RMB2.78 (US$0.43), compared with basic and diluted losses per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB0.95, in the same quarter of 2016.

Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders in the fourth quarter of 2017 were RMB3.74 (US$0.57) and RMB3.69 (US$0.56), respectively, compared with non-GAAP basic and diluted losses per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB0.16 in the same quarter of 2016.

Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB875.8 million (US$134.0 million) in the fourth quarter of 2017, compared with net cash provided by operating activities of RMB842.2 million in the same quarter of 2016.

Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Results

Revenues

Total revenues were RMB10,068.8 million (US$1,540.9 million), representing an increase of 32.6% from RMB7,592.1 million during fiscal year 2016.

Membership revenues were RMB3,789.5 million (US$580.0 million), an increase of 28.4% from RMB2,951.1 million during fiscal year 2016. The increase in membership revenues was primarily driven by an increase in the number of subscription-based paying membership accounts. The number of quarterly average paying membership accounts on the Company’s platforms, which include 58.com, Ganji.com and Anjuke.com, was approximately 2,485,000 during fiscal year 2017.

Online marketing services revenues were RMB5,978.5 million (US$915.0 million), an increase of 37.0% from RMB4,363.8 million during fiscal year 2016. The increase was primarily driven by the increasing adoption and effectiveness of the Company’s various online marketing services such as real-time bidding, priority listing and various other online marketing services.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues was RMB925.5 million (US$141.6 million), an increase of 30.9% from RMB707.2 million during fiscal year 2016. The year-over-year increase was primarily driven by increases in salaries and benefits for customer service staff, costs of used goods sold, and other types of website maintenance-related costs such as depreciation expenses.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Gross profit was RMB9,143.3 million (US$1,399.3 million), an increase of 32.8% from RMB6,884.9 million during fiscal year 2016.

Gross margin was 90.8%, compared with 90.7% during fiscal year 2016.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were RMB7,346.8 million (US$1,124.4 million), representing an increase of 10.5% from RMB6,651.2 million during fiscal year 2016.

Sales and marketing expenses in fiscal year 2017 were RMB5,212.4 million (US$797.7 million), an increase of 5.5% from RMB4,941.4 million during fiscal year 2016.

Within sales and marketing expenses, advertising expenses accounted for RMB2,087.1 million (US$319.4 million) and RMB2,040.0 million during fiscal year 2017 and 2016, respectively. The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising expenses associated with the promotion of the 58.com and Zhuan Zhuan brands.

Research and development expenses in fiscal year 2017 were RMB1,368.4 million (US$209.4 million), an increase of 23.5% from RMB1,107.9 million during fiscal year 2016. The increase was primarily due to increased salaries and benefits as well as share-based compensation expenses associated with the hiring of additional employees for research and development of new features and services.

General and administrative expenses in fiscal year 2017 were RMB766.0 million (US$117.2 million), an increase of 27.3% from RMB601.9 million during fiscal year 2016. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in salaries, share-based compensation expenses and other administrative related expenses.

Income from Operations

Income from operations was RMB1,796.5 million (US$274.9 million) in fiscal year 2017, compared with income from operations of RMB233.7 million during fiscal year 2016. Operating margin was 17.8% in fiscal year of 2017, compared with 3.1% during fiscal year 2016.

Non-GAAP income from operations was RMB2,359.2 million (US$361.1 million) in fiscal year 2017, compared with non-GAAP income from operations of RMB730.0 million during fiscal year 2016. Non-GAAP operating margin was 23.4% during fiscal year 2017, compared with 9.6% during fiscal year 2016.

Other Expenses

Other expenses in fiscal year 2017 were RMB260.5 million (US$39.9 million), compared with other expenses of RMB1,057.7 million during fiscal year 2016. Other expenses in fiscal year 2017 mainly included a RMB687.4 million share of results of equity investees, which primarily consisted of a RMB663.2 million share of the net loss attributable to 58 Home’s ordinary shareholders calculated based on the Company’s ordinary shareholding in 58 Home, which was partially offset by investment income of RMB342.2 million and government subsidies of RMB81.4 million.

Net Income/(Loss) Attributable to 58.com Inc.

Net income attributable to 58.com Inc. was RMB1,285.1 million (US$196.7 million) in fiscal year 2017, compared with net loss attributable to 58.com Inc. of RMB783.8 million during fiscal year 2016. Net margin was positive 12.8% in fiscal year of 2017, compared with negative 10.3% during fiscal year 2016.

Non-GAAP net income attributable to 58.com Inc. was RMB1,795.0 million (US$274.7 million) in fiscal year 2017, compared with non-GAAP net loss attributable to 58.com Inc. of RMB253.6 million during fiscal year 2016. Non-GAAP net margin was positive 17.9% in fiscal year 2017, compared with negative 3.4% during fiscal year 2016.

Basic and Diluted Earnings/(Loss) per ADS

Basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders in fiscal year 2017 were RMB8.82 (US$1.35) and RMB8.70 (US$1.33), compared with basic and diluted losses per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB5.46, during fiscal year 2016.

Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders in fiscal year 2017 were RMB12.32 (US$1.89) and RMB12.16 (US$1.86), respectively, compared with non-GAAP basic and diluted losses per ADS attributable to ordinary shareholders of RMB1.77 during fiscal year 2016.

Cash Flow

Net cash provided by operating activities was RMB2,697.3 million (US$412.8 million) in fiscal year 2017, compared with net cash provided by operating activities of RMB1,887.8 million during fiscal year 2016.

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-term Investments

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB4,962.7 million (US$759.5 million).

Shares Outstanding

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had a total of 293,965,131 ordinary shares (including 245,924,871 Class A and 48,040,260 Class B ordinary shares) issued and outstanding. One ADS represents two Class A ordinary shares.

Business Outlook

Based on the Company’s current operations, total revenues for the first quarter of 2018 are expected to be between RMB2,290 million and RMB2,390 million. This represents a year-over-year increase of 15.2% to 20.2% in Renminbi amounts. These estimates reflect the Company’s current and preliminary view, which is subject to change.

Management Comments

“We finished the year with another quarter of strong financial and operational results,” commented Mr. Michael Yao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of 58.com. “Traffic on our mobile applications continued to grow strongly, largely as a result of our continued focus on product innovation and user experience improvement. Our core categories, such as jobs, secondary housing and rentals, used automobiles, and used goods all continue to create significant opportunities for us driven by their respective industries’ rapid growth trajectory. The growth in traffic and revenues is particularly strong in lower tier cities and towns. We will continue to reinvest our increasing cash flow generated from our core businesses into these high-growth and low-penetration businesses and products to maximize the long-term value of our platform.”

Mr. Hao Zhou, Chief Financial Officer of 58.com added, “We continued to see strong growth in revenue, traffic and margins during the quarter. Our revenues exceeded guidance once again. Free cash flow for year 2017 was approximately US$400 million, up 63.3% from 2016. As revenues continue to grow and the margins of our core businesses expand further, we will invest more in technology and areas that will further strengthen our leadership position in our core categories.”

Shares of 58.com Inc. have been recently spotted trading -12.03% off of the 52-week high price. On the other end, company shares have been noted 123.18% away from the low price over the last 52-weeks. 52 week range of the stock remained $ 34.55 – 87.65. Switching over to some distances from popular moving averages, we see that the stock has been recorded -0.21% away from the 50 day moving average and 21.63% away from the 200 day moving average. Moving closer, we can see that shares have been trading 2.31% off of the 20-day moving average.

Warren Becky

Warren Becky joined us, after more than 10 years of experience in writing financial and business news, most recently as Investment Editor and writer. He also has a vast knowledge of stock trading. He earned bachelor degree from Union College with a focus in Business Administration. Warren is the Senior Editor and market movers section. He also holds an MBA from Penn State University. He has two daughter and two children.
Address: 2129 Maud Street, ESKO, Minnesota
Email: Warrenbecky@stocksgeeks.com
Zip Code: 55733
Contact number: 302-722-7537

About US

Stocksgeeks.com offers a constantly updated mix of the latest news stories to hit the Finance and Business world, covering a diverse range of focus including Business News, Earnings news, and trending market mover’s stories. Stocksgeeks.com provides an essential 24/7 news, information and social interaction network – collecting many sources to inform, engage and entertain. As an organization, we embrace new ideas and innovation.